Veterans Memorial Support Foundation

Build and Maintain a tribute to U.S. Military Members and Veterans
Honor all U.S. Military Members & Veterans, Past, Present & Future
Educate the Community
Provide Humanitarian Support

MICHAEL FRANGADAKIS, BOARD DIRECTOR

Michael Frangadakis is a Vietnam Vet who served in the 44th Medical Brigade in the highlands of Vietnam. Today he continues service to America through his active reserve duty in the California State Military Reserve where he earned the Non-Commission Officer of the Year Award. Mike serves as a Sergeant First Class in charge of recruiting and retention in Northern California. He is currently the National Guard and Veteran Affairs Commissioner for Santa Clara County, the current President of the West Valley Advisory Board of the Red Cross and the President of the Veterans Memorial & Support Foundation of Los Gatos. Mike has a career steeped in real estate. With over three decades in the industry, Mike has served as broker, licensed and certified appraiser and CEO of his own business, Realty World - Frangadakis Corporation. His expertise in real estate and appraisals is often called upon for court expert witness requests in the state of California and earned him selection into the Realtors Hall of Fame. Mike has been extensively involved with his community. He serves on the Certified Community Emergency Response Team, is a member of the Saratoga Men's Club, Pan Cretan and the St. Nicolas Greek Orthodox Church. He has been a Los Gatos Rotarian since '78 in which he chairs their Operation Yellow Ribbon Program supporting the Fisher House and Poly Trauma Center of the Palo Alto VA. His personal passion is to support all military Veterans. Mike has been Married to his Wife Liz since 1981 with 3 adult Children.

"Interdisciplinary Innovation at San José State University”

Gary Craig Hobbs
Assistant Professor, Art and Art History

“It sounds counterintuitive for a teacher to learn from his students, but I do so every day.”
How can technology and creativity combine to solve some of our planet’s problems? Gary Craig Hobbs believes digital technology may offer solutions. Hobbs challenges his students to explore these issues through the creation of digital media art, computer games and mobile apps. Films, animations, artworks and personal experiences influence designs. The results are as unique as their creators. Hobbs, who grew up near Cape Canaveral, Florida, during the Apollo Mission, vividly recalls viewing initial images of the universe and how it prompted his own dreams of flight. Today, he partners with students to create a world with a brighter future.

Hobbs received his BFA from California Institute of the Arts and his MFA from the Digital Arts and New Media program at University of California, Santa Cruz. From 2009-2012, he lectured at the University of California, Santa Cruz and California College of the Arts (CCA) in San Francisco, and is currently Assistant Professor in Art and Art History at San Jose State University.

We hope you attended and enjoyed Presidents Brunch Sunday Dec. 2

Club DARK on Tuesday Dec. 4th so that you can attend the annual Presidents Brunch the sunday BEFORE this day:

About Presidents Brunch:
Kick off the Holiday season with Los Gatos Rotarians and their Significant others. In 2017 we had wonderful performers, a delicious meal, and 17 of our past club Presidents attend.

Inside look at transforming an old house

Chie Kawahara organizes green home tours to help architects and homeowners experience the comfort of science based energy efficient homes. As a member of Santa Cruz Downtown Toastmasters, she speaks about conserving water and energy at the home. In her prior career, she managed information technology implementation projects. Chie Kawahara received a bachelor of arts degree in economics from University of Hawaii and a masters of business administration degree from San Francisco State University. She lives in Santa Cruz with her husband and enjoys trail running, baking, and playing flute.

Highlights of Modern Astrophysics and Cosmology

Highlights of Modern Astrophysics and Cosmology

Dr. Edwin F. Erickson, NASA Ames Research Center, Ret.

From Exoplanets to Gravitational Waves, from Black Holes to the Cosmic Microwave Background, from Dark Matter to Dark Energy – modern observations are revealing exciting details of these and other phenomena of fundamental astronomical significance. As technical capabilities extend our limits of perception, theoretical astrophysicists strive to interpret the observations, elevating our understanding of – and raising intriguing questions about – the origin, the evolution, and the future of the Universe: Cosmology.

Successful theories not only describe and explain what is observed, but predict as yet unseen and even unobservable features of nature. Driven by curiosity, the astronomers and physicists are pursuing development of new facilities and ideas to further extend our limited perception and understanding. The talk will describe some basic Physics principles and their application to astronomy, to demonstrate some of what we know, how we know it, and what we don’t know.

Taking Philanthropy to next generation: Rotary Directed Funds

Beth is The Rotary Foundation’s Major Gift Officer for Zone 26. She joined TRF in June 2016 and brings 24 years of major gift experience to her role, having worked in K-12 and higher education as well as healthcare. Beth is delighted to be working again with Rotarians, having been an active member of both the Hawthorne, CA and Joliet, IL Rotary Clubs and is a current member of D5340’s Carlsbad Hi-Noon Rotary Club.

Her development career began when she moved to Illinois from Southern California in 1994, serving College of DuPage as Campaign and Major Gifts Officer, Rosalind Franklin University of Medicine and Science as Director of Development and Alumni Affairs, and Provena Saint Joseph Medical Center as Vice President of its foundation and volunteer services. Before joining TRF, Beth was the Philanthropic Partnerships Director for MIND Research Institute in Irvine, CA. Prior to 1994, her career included eight years in community redevelopment for the City of Hawthorne, California.

Beth is a Certified Fund Raising Executive who has a successful track record of helping donors realize their charitable goals. She holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Sociology from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and a Master’s Degree in Public Administration from the University of Southern California. She enjoys volunteer service and currently serves on the Sociology Board of Visitors for UW Madison. Beth and her husband Tom have two children, a granddaughter, and a big dog, Jack. Beth supports Zone 26 out of her home base in Carlsbad, CA.

Responding to humanitarian crisis

The International Rescue Committee provides opportunities for refugees, asylees, victims of human trafficking, survivors of torture, and other immigrants to thrive in America. Each year, thousands of people, forced to flee violence and persecution, are welcomed by the people of the United States into the safety and freedom of America. These individuals have survived against incredible odds. The IRC works with government bodies, civil society actors, and local volunteers to help them translate their past experiences into assets that are valuable to their new communities. In San Jose and other offices across the country, the IRC helps them to rebuild their lives.

4 students will present on 2019 Rotary theme

Rotary Clubs of District 5170 sponsor the Richard D. King Annual Youth Speech Contest with three goals in mind for the Club Members and each Speech Contest Participant:

To increase the personal knowledge and awareness of the importance of being able to speak effectively before a group.

To increase public knowledge of what Rotary is and does throughout the world, especially among young people. Through this knowledge, we hope that they will learn, as we have in the past, “He who serves best profits most.”

To increase participation in the contest and to provide all high school contestants an opportunity to win prizes as top speaker, or runners-up, in District 5170.

Seeing Again Guatemala

"Seeing Again-Eye Care Guatemala" is an ongoing medical and surgical mission project at the Clinica Maxeña in Santo Tómas La Unión, sponsored by the Diocese of Helena, Montana and the Los Gatos and Santa Cruz California Rotary Clubs. Its purpose is to save and restore sight to a very needy indigenous population in Guatemala.

IBM Watson- Ethics & bias in the Era of Artificial Intelligence

As a movement of society in recent years, there is no day that AI and Machine Learning words are not seen in newspapers etc. In 2007, IBM Research took on the grand challenge of building a computer system called IBM Watson that could compete with champions at the game of Jeopardy! IBM Watson represents a first step into cognitive systems, a new era of computing. Watson builds on the current era of programmatic computing but differs in significant ways. Cognitive systems, such as IBM Watson, can transform how organizations think, act, and operate in the future.

Sandeep Gopisetty, son of a former Rotarian, is an IBM Distinguished Engineer, Director of AI, Systems & Solutions Research, and developing an IBM Services Strategy with over 25 years of IBM Research experience. Sandeep has a passion for nurturing high performance, global, multidisciplinary teams to bring innovation from Research to the market in collaboration with product groups, services, customers, and universities.

Human Trafficking

As District Attorney, Mr. Rosen created an innovative and nationally acclaimed Conviction Integrity Unit to investigate innocence claims and implement the most professional practices in criminal prosecution.

One of the state's most forward-thinking District Attorneys, Jeff Rosen of Santa Clara County, discusses the paradigm shift happening -- and needed -- in California's justice approaches.

Since arriving in the Bay Area, Mr. Rosen has served as president of a large synagogue, taught trial advocacy at Santa Clara University Law School, and trained police officers in report-writing.

Mr. Rosen received his undergraduate degree from UCLA where he majored in Philosophy and graduated Summa Cum Laude and Phi Beta Kappa. He also won the prestigious Truman Scholarship and the Outstanding Senior Award. Mr. Rosen received his law degree from UC Berkeley School of Law, where he served on the Moot Court Board and taught English to immigrants.

Mr. Rosen's wife serves as a Mr. Rosen's wife serves as a Superior Court Judge for the State of California. They have two daughters.

Mr. Rosen enjoys playing sports, reading, and cheering for the Green Bay Packers.

An admirer of President Harry Truman, Mr. Rosen believes, "The buck stops here."